At-home swimming drills for 14 year olds and older

This is a free sample week of at-home swimming training for 14 year olds and older: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 11 to 12 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of swimming for 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Fast and fresh 12 minutes

Easy warm-up swim · 3 min
Only with a lifeguard or coach on deck
Fast half-lengths x 6, full rest · 6 min
Fast with good form, no gasping
Easy swim down · 3 min
Loosen up

Session 2

Count your strokes 12 minutes

Catch-up drill · 4 min
Only with a lifeguard or coach watching
Fingertip drag drill · 4 min
High elbow, relaxed hand
Count strokes per length · 4 min
Try to take one fewer

Session 3

Race routine 11 minutes

Box breathing · 3 min
In 4, hold 4, out 4, hold 4
Walk through your race in your head · 5 min
Start, walls, finish, all smooth
Pick one cue word · 3 min
One word you will think on the blocks

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 swimming plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

Safety for ages 14 and up

Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: swimming

Goggles and a cap; a lifeguard or certified coach watching every swim.
No breath-holding games or contests. One normal breath before going under, no fast breathing, and come up when you want air.
Never dive into shallow water. Start from in the water unless your coach has checked you off for dives in deep water.
Always swim where a lifeguard or certified coach is watching.
Short sessions and technique first for young swimmers.

For every sport and age (7)

Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 26 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Swimming: governing bodies, safety and development (6)

Youth athletic development and safety (20)